Lupus/Antibody levels for Lupus.

QuestionI have a positive ANA SM antibodies, SSA (Ro) antibodies, SSB (La) antibodies, Ro52 antibodies, Jo-1 antibodies, Sci-70 antibodies and Ribsonal P antibodies. My ENA is negative. I suffer from symptoms of lupus but a doctor said I do not have it, that he thought I had fybromyalgia. I am puzzled as I thought the SM antibody alone was a pointer for lupus, as the level is minus 1, therefore if you have any SM antibodies at all you have lupus. I have been in that much pain I really would like to find an answer. Thank you.

AnswerHello Gay-
I know how frustrating it is to try to get a diagnosis so you can move forward. It took me 2 years and multiple doctors (and a desperate plea to God) to finally get diagnosed with lupus.

Last I knew there was no one specific test that meant you had lupus. That is what makes it so hard to diagnose, although an positive ANA is one possible sign of lupus. It's diagnosed at the discretion of the doctor using a combination of lab tests and symptoms. You may find this webpage on diagnosing lupus to be very helpful:http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_learndiagnosing.asp

Expertise

I can answer questions such as "what is lupus?" (How common is it? Is it contagious? What are the symptoms? etc.). Also, I can answer questions such as "what are the available treatments for lupus?" (both standard and alternative). Really, I'll take almost any question on lupus, though. If I can't answer it, I'll be very surprised, but I'll also go find someone who can.

Experience

I've been living with lupus (SLE) since 1992. I've had three severe bouts with it, including symptoms such as kidney failure and stroke (if you can call having a stroke a "symptom"). I have completely regained my health, though I have to be mindful to take care of myself, lest I get sick again. I use both mainstream and alternative medicine, and have tried just about everything under the sun to alleviate symptoms. A lot of it worked.